Gas-begttlator



R. CORNELIUS.

Gas Regulator.

Patented April 21, 1857.

" asses U.- l M 1 m 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RORERT CORNELIUS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent N 0. 17,079, dated April 21, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CORNELIUS, of

i the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, makmg a part of this specification, in which.-

Figure 1, is a vertical section of my regulator. Fig. 2 is atop view of part E, F, of I Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of a modification of the same apparatus shown in figure.

The nature of my improvement consists in the employment of a metallic spring box in combination with a valve of peculiar construction for the purpose of so regulating the flow of gas through the burners that the escape of gas from anygiven pipe to a number of burners shall be under a uniform or very nearly uniform pressure no matter how many burners attached to such pipe are opened.

Various attempts to regulatethe pressure of gas on the burners have been made, but I have found after careful experiment that these are defective in attaining the result above mentioned namely, the preservation of a uniform pressure on the escaping gas at each burner no matter how many burners attached to the same supply pipe are in use.

I construct my regulator as follows-A, B, C, D, is a flat or ellipsoidal box or case.

E, F, is a spring box composed of two plates of thin brass corrugated in concentric circles and attached together by soldering at the outer circumference. The lower plate is soldered to the piece N, N.

G is the entrance or supply pipe from the main.

H, is the pipe going to the burner.

' I, is an intermediate valve chamber.

K, L, is a hollow or tubular rod attached firmly to the spring box E, F, moving up iand down with the plates of the box. This rod K, L, slides through a guiding collar at N, N. A fiat valve 0, O, fits over a circular opening P,P. This valve 0 O is the valve through which the main supply of gas escapes from G, through I to H, and the quantity of gas so permitted to pass will depend in a great measure on the distance to which 0', O, is removed or separated from P, P. A small valve R R of a peculiar shape is attached to the lower extremity by the revolution of a semi parabola upon a line parallel to its transverse axis.

Its shape is such as to present a section of a size greater in proportion than the motion of the hollow rod K, L, for example-if the valve rod K, L run through one tenth of an inch the sectional are presented between R R and P P will be greater than twice that presented by a similar motion of K, L through one twentieth (2 17) of an inch and so on.

The operation of my regulator is as follows. The gas enters at G under the street pressure passes intothe chamber I, from I it passes through atO O to u, u, and thence to H in the direction shown by the arrows. A small portion of gas also passes up through the narrow passage W, V, W V into the interior of the spring box E, F, and thence through the small aperture Y down the tubular rod K, L, and between R R and T, T into the chamber 20, u, where it meets the gas flowing through 0 O and they flow together through H to the burners. When no burners are lighted on H, the pres sure of the gas in I, is communicated through N, V and N V to the interior of E, F and the spring plates of E, F, being separated to their greatest extent the valve 0, O is drawn up almost to its seat P, P, and the valve R R almost to its seat also. When one burner is lighted the gas flows through at P, P and also at R R and this flow diminishes the pressure which was distending E, F, and that box contracting slightly the rod K L is pusheddown and O O and RR slightly opened. When two burners are lighted O O and R R are for a like reason depressed and more gas escapes but the peculiar shape of R R" permits more gas to escape than double the quantity which passed before. This relieves the pressure still more within the box E, F and it contracts consequently a little more and removes O O and R R still farther from their seat and permits a larger quantity of gas to pass through at O 0. Now it is to attain this increased quantity over the quantity merely proportionate to the number of burners opened that my invention is intended; for it is apparent that as the pressure is diminished by the increased number of burners opened, the sectional area of supply ought to increase in a compound ratio due both to the number of burners opened and to the diminishing pressure in the chamber I. The valve R R is so constructedthat every section of it bears this compounded ratio to its preceding section. The form of this valve may be best determined by experiment and shall be found to be about that shown in the drawmg. I

The drawing shows a precise section of a regulator adapted for forty burners and when it is applied to a pipe containing that number either one or the whole forty may be lighted and no perceptible difference can be observed in the burning either by the eye or the water gage.

The spring box E, F, composed of two plates of corrugated metal operating as above described proposes great advantages in the construction of gas regulators as it dispenses with all fluids and can be easily and cheaply constructed and is not liable to get out of order and is very compact.

I have shown the spring box so arranged that the pressure is on the inside, but it may also be constructed so as to have the pressure on the outside, thus the outer case, A B C D being made tight at its periphery. The spring boxv is reversed, the piece m, m, is

of passing inside of spring box E F as now, will be on the outside.

When it is desired to increase the motion of the valve rod for a larger quantity of burners I place two or more spring boxes together and connect the tubular rod to the upper plate. By this means I can make a gas regulator applicable to large number of burners within a very small compass. The

compound spring box so constructed is openings 8 s and o o in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. The employment of the valve R It in combination with the spring box for regulating thefiow of gas, these being construct ed and operating in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

ROBT. CORNELIUS.

Witnesses:

J. H. B. JENKINS, I. E. SHAW. 

